SUNDAY MERCURY WROTEColeshill needed an injury time goal to see off basement club Boldmere St Michaels and maintain their one point lead. Joe Halsall fired in from close range at the end of a game in which the visitors had the better of the chances.

MATCH REPORT

Top v Bottom! That means nothing in this league, every game is a tough one, and old rivals Boldmere St Michaels weren't going to roll over despite only winning one game so far this season.Town won with a Joe Halsall goal in the 92nd minute to maintain top spot and as the Top Eight teams all won, it was a vital three points. However, it's difficult to put a positive spin on the performance as chances were few and far between, Reece Leek almost rounding the keeper the only other real threat. The Mikes on the other hand missed two sitters, hit the bar and had a decent penalty appeal turned down.

Jorna Moulton returned to the starting line up and Gio Dainty took up the left back spot at the expense of Luke Edwards and Anton Astley. Coleshill started brightly but after a couple of dangerous attacks down the flanks, the Mikes started to grow in confidence. A half cleared corner came back to the unmarked Shaw who volleyed across goal missing the far post by inches. Coleshill had plenty of possession but the final ball was sadly lacking, A fine run and cross by Ryan Edmunds was took off the head of Joe Halsall in the centre of goal but Reece Leek recycled the move and his vicious shot went just past the far post. Town looked to be getting up a head of steam as shots from Reece Leek and Jordan Nadat were cleared off the line and a Beckam-esk shot by Rob Evans inside his own half wasn't too far away but the half finished disappointingly goalless.

Early in the second half a ball into the box by Usher-Shipway found Holmes free in front of goal but just as he prepared to shoot Jorna Moulton came from nowhere to smash out for a corner. From that corner Lyng hit the bar with a powerful header. Boldmere's back line were giving Coleshill a tough time and keeper Fenney was having a fairly quite afternoon. Dean Rathbone headed for goal from a Reece Leek cross and Jordan Nadat's left foot shot were both saved by Fenney. Holmes pinched the ball off the home defence and fed Morris who went down in the box under a challenge by Rob Evans. Keeper Paul Hathaway was furious that Morris had gone to ground but it could well have been adjudged a penalty. Coleshill's best chance came when Dean Rathbone split open the visitors defence to leave Reece Leek a free run at goal. Fenney was quick off his line and was outside the box when Leek attempted to go round him but the keeper stuck out a leg and managed to kick the ball away from what would have been a certain goal. Joe Halsall headed wide a Ryan Edmunds cross and Paul Hathaway punched away a Craven header. A Jordan Nadat cross was met by Matt Gardner at a stretch, his effort only just went the wrong side of the far post but with time running out Coleshill finally found a way past the Mikes defence. Reece Leek jinked his way into the box and his pass came off Matt Gardner and fell nicely into the path of Joe Halsall who swept the ball across the keeper into the far corner of the net. There was no time for Boldmere to hit back as their run of bad results continued. On this showing though, once their luck changes, they should easily climb out of the relegation zone.

Title winning teams get results when they don't play well but not every week! It's a long season, all teams have good days and bad days! To still be top with the half way mark fast approaching is more than we could have asked for but to maintain that over the second half of the season the Colemen definitely have to play better than this.

Although the Mikes were condemned to yet another league defeat at the league leaders it was hard not to feel sympathy for the players who more than equalled the table toppers throughout the ninety minutes. To rub salt in the wounds the winning goal came in the third minute of stoppage time and was scored by ex-Boldmere midfielder Joe Halsall.After a morale boosting win on Tuesday manager Stuart Grosvenor recalled Lewis Fenney in goal, Keenah Rosser replaced the unavailable Nicky Dodd at right back and J’Cee Abraham took over at left back from skipper Craig Milligan. The captain moving into midfield with Ryan Shaw and Jason Holmes occupying more forward roles to the exclusion of top scorer Ryan Nesbitt.The game was end to end from the first whistle with the Mikes perhaps edging proceedings in the opening quarter, indeed they should have taken a seventh minute lead when Shaw spurned a golden opportunity scuffing his effort past the far post when a goal beckoned. Meanwhile the pacey home forwards Jordan Nadat, Reece Leek and Ryan Edmunds kept the Mikes defence on their toes but with Harry Craven and Joe Lyng forming a solid partnership keeper Fenney was not troubled until ten minutes before half time when Dean Rathbone picked up a loose clearance and fired a dipping cross shot that the custodian tipped away for a fruitless corner. Charlie Morris and Ben Usher-Shipway worked tirelessly on the flanks and were fed regularly by Milligan and Cameron Gayle. Morris in particular caused several anxious moments in the home rearguard and full back Jorna Moulton was perhaps lucky to receive just a yellow card when chopping down the winger in full flight. Although the scoreline remained blank at the interval the fans had been well entertained in the autumn sunshine.In the second period despite the fact that the Mikes were propping up the table prior to the match they played like anything but that, closing down the Colemen tenaciously and creating most of the better chances. On the other hand speedy breaks by the home forwards meant that the Mikes defenders always had to be on the alert to snuff out raids into their territory. They say when the chips are down every decision seems to go against you and that certainly rang true when another marauding run by Morris was halted by a tackle that everybody on the ground deemed a penalty bar referee Matthew Hopton. Joe Lyng smacked a great header against the bar following a corner and Jason Holmes would surely have taken either of two good chances on another day. The second attempt in fact led to an injury seeing him replaced by Nesbitt whose goal record this season inspired hope of snatching the three points. The best chance at the other end fell to Leek who broke clean away and after all the Mikes efforts a goal seemed certain to break their hearts but Fenney made a stunning tackle on the edge of the box to deny the forward. Substitute Matthew Gardner, another ex-Mike steered a further chance wide at full stretch and it looked as though Boldmere would secure a valuable point that would have been just.As the game inched closer to the final whistle Coleshill did exert a little more pressure on the visiting rearguard but hardly deserved the winner in the 93rd minute. A free kick midway in the Mikes half snaked through a crowd of attackers and defenders to Halsall who swept the ball home from ten yards. In a late effort to rescue a point Lyng joined the attack but his frustration led to a booking and he joined Fenney who been similarly penalised for time wasting minutes before the deciding goal. Despite this further defeat all of the players can look back on a performance that suggested better things are just round the corner. Hopefully the tide will start to turn when the Mikes face AFC Wulfrunians on Saturday.